Online dating can be a great way to meet a potential love interest, but there is an art to it, says Annadale author Adam Klein.

By ADAM KLEIN

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Let’s face it; single men on Staten Island have it rough.

As much as I wish I could tell all the single men out there to just go to the local bar scene to find love, let’s be real, the odds for finding a quality mate there aren’t great.

Head to Manhattan and our luck is not much better. Most women there look at us as if we have the plague when we tell them we are from Staten Island — thanks to a lot of TV reality shows pounding our reputation into the ground.

There is a solution, though: online dating. For us single men on Staten Island, this is one of the greatest ways to meet someone of substance and quality. The only problem is, most men are unsuccessful online due to ruthless competition.

But not to worry. I have some tips to help you avoid some common mistakes.

First of all, choosing the right site is critical.

Plenty of Fish has the reputation of being more of a “hook-up” site. Looking for a relationship here is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a hook-up and sign up for relationship-geared eHarmony, you likely will be disappointed.

A general rule of thumb: If you are looking for high-quality women that are serious, go with paid sites. Women tend to take them more seriously. To keep it casual, stick to free sites.

ART OF E-MAILING

Secondly, there is an art to e-mailing. A rule of thumb: Keep it short. Be original. Have fun.

Men need to write messages that are unique and interesting, while still keeping the word count very short. If we can do this and make our dates laugh at the same time, we have hit the perfect trifecta.

For the first e-mail: Make one joke or playful comment in the first half of the e-mail that relates to her profile; ask an interesting question in the second half. Keep it to six sentences, max.

Finally, our words are where we develop most of our attraction, not our pictures. This is something most men fail to understand. Many men assume that when they are being rejected online, that the rejection pertains mostly to their looks. Oftentimes, this is a false assumption.

Women mainly feel attraction based on internal characteristics. This is why so many beautiful women in society are with men who aren’t that great looking.

When women see men who appear to be leaders, alpha males, funny, in high pursuit, etc., they instantly feel an attraction without thinking about it.

And in the online world, our words must communicate these internal characteristics, since our voices and body language cannot.

If we learn to write profiles and e-mails in ways that communicate all our amazing qualities effectively, women will feel an attraction toward us.

We must show them these qualities through our words, not just claim them.

For example, humor. We can’t just say we are funny like most cliché profiles do. This is boring. We must show it by actually making jokes that are funny!

If you are not skilled at writing, my recommendation is to find yourself a credible profile-writing service that can put you on the right path.

Adam Klein is a resident of Annadale and author of “The REAL Online Game.” Visit getrealdates.com where to sign up for a free weekly newsletter, and download two free chapters of “The REAL Online Game.”